Mike

About Mike

Mike gets all the racing games because he understands that stuff even though he doesn't drive.
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Graven is certainly aiming at a specific inspiration. A first-person shooter set in a dark fantasy world, it looks to scratch that Hexxen itch. Slipgate Ironworks and 3D Realms are waist-deep in the genre but, even with all that experience, the Playstation 5 port remains troubled. Let’s get the bad […]

Graven – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged 3d realms / bows and arrows / fantasy hexxen / graven / magic / melee combat / plague / quests journal / retro first-person shooter / slipgate ironworks by
I have waited so long to play Beyond Good & Evil. It was always one of those games that was talked with such reverence but I’d never managed to get my hands on it. Now Ubisoft have decided to re-release and update the classic game with a 20th Anniversary Edition. […]

Beyond Good & Evil: 20th Anniversary Edition – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged alien invasion / beyond good and evil 20th anniversary edition / dictatorship / espionage / hovercraft racing / melee combat / photography / remaster / spying / stealth / ubisoft by
It’s not very often you see downloadable content coming so long after a game’s release. Elden Ring was critically acclaimed in 2022 and From Software has a fairly solid history of worthy expansions. With a relatively hefty price tag, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has, at the very least, […]

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged challenging / dark fantasy / deliberate combat / elden ring shadow of the erdtree / exploration / from software / george r r martin / open world / Souls by
I’ve never had a game described as an interactive photoplay before. That’s how Times & Galaxy rolls, a game based entirely around journalism and reporting the news. Copychaser Games are behind it and, despite the penchant for the mundane, the extra-terrestrial setting allows for a charming time. The Times & […]

Times & Galaxy – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged copychaser games / internship / interview / journalism / narrative based / news / photoplay / reporting / space / times and galaxy by
I can’t tell you the last time I played a game set in the north of England. It seems we always get skipped in favour of the big smoke. Eternal Threads is a narrative game entirely focused around a five-bedroom house deep beyond the suburbs of Manchester. Whilst the accents […]

Eternal Threads – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged butterfly effect / consequences / cosmonauts / decisions / eccles / eternal threads / house fire / lancashire accents / manchester / narratively-driven / nosey bastards by
Tactical RPGs can feel both appealing and impenetrable to me. I love the idea of playing a tabletop general but I’ve never quite had the acumen to fully embrace the genre. Crown Wars: The Black Prince is the latest one to come my way. Artefacts Studio has been prolific over […]

Crown Wars: The Black Prince – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged 100 years war / Artefacts studio / base management / challenging / crown wars the black prince / england / france / Medieval / tactical rpg / turn-based by
I love the original System Shock. Coming in 1994, the expectations and boundaries of a first-person perspective hadn’t really been hammered home. As such, there was a lot of experimentation in how to control and interact within a cyberpunk setting which led to some interesting results. I finished it within […]

System Shock – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged cyberpunk / first person / hacker / immersive sim / nightdive / puzzles / shodan / shooting / space station / system shock by
Mystic Pillars Remastered is a puzzle game by Holy Cow Productions. Originally, it saw the light of day on PC in 2020. I’ll admit the remastered tag seems a tad generous but this thoughtful effort kept my brain in gear whilst turning me on a little towards Indian culture and […]

Mystic Pillars – Remastered – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged deities / folklore / gems / gods / holy cow productions / india / kannada / logic puzzle / maths / mystic pillars remastered / numbers by
Going to arcades these days is a very weird experience. In my child brain I still think I’m going to find games I’ll recognise there. I’m very often mistaken and a little disappointed. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants is, as luck would have it, a port […]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants – ...

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged 2d sidescroller / belt action / brawler / cradle games / local multiplayer / new york city / pizza / raw thrills / sewers / teenage mutant ninja turtles wrath of the mutants by
It’s funny how games centred around menial vocations can prove such a hit. Overcooked has spawned plenty of imitators in a genre that is all about too much to do. Ready, Steady, Ship! is the latest of these to come to console. Jollybit Games have taken the simple, repetitive art […]

Ready, Steady, Ship! – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged boxes / job simulator / jollybit games / local co-op / logistics / puzzles / ready steady ship! / shipping / single-player / space / warehouse by